Laura Carlucci's posts

As Social Media Week nears the finish line, what better way to give a little #FlashbackFriday than to take a look back at AOL's events over the past week?

From the panel we hosted on Tuesday, additional events throughout the week at our offices and our Twitter co-hosted cocktail reception on Thursday, AOL put itself on the social media map in New York for a long time to come.

Kicking off the week, The Huffington Post's Tim McDonald moderated a sold-out panel, "Is Social Killing Storytelling", on Tuesday afternoon. The panel featured an amazing lineup of panelists –including Mashable's CMO, Stacy Martinet and the Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic, James Bennet. Despite the inclement weather, we had a nearly-packed house and an additional 845 viewers who streamed the panel online.

Additionally, 250 social media influencers, AOL clients, journalists and digital media professionals attended the AOL and Twitter event, "You've Got Social" last night. To encourage the influential guests to share content from the event with their followers, we transformed every aspect of the event into a social media activation. Hundreds of people Tweeted together to unlock better drink options at the bar, request the next song played by the DJ, and strike a pose in our GIF booth.

We think it was a very social week for AOL, but don't just take our word for it: the infographic below provides a breakdown of AOL's Social Media Week by the numbers:

Wish you could have experienced AOL's Social Media Week for yourself? While we can't recreate the tweet powered bar or DJ, we can show you the thought-provoking panel, Is Social Killing Storytelling, here.

1. Tweet us your scariest 140-character horror story using the hashtag #TalesofTerror.
2. The top 10 will be chosen at noon on Friday, 10/25.
3. The winner will be selected by live vote during "Halloween Live" on Monday, 10/28.
4. The grand prize winner gets a custom 1- minute movie of their story created by the terrifyingly talented BlackBoxTV. The four honorable mentions will get a digital poster depicting their tale.
5. Tune in to "Halloween Live" on Thursday, 10/31 to watch the premiere of the winning film.

1. Eligibility: The Tales of Terror Contest (the "Contest") is open only to residents of the 50 United States (including the District of Columbia) and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 13 years of age or older at time of entry. Employees of AOL Inc., BlackBoxTV, and their advertising or promotion agencies, those involved in the production, development, implementation or handling of Contest, any agents acting for, or on behalf of the above entities, their respective parent companies, officers, directors, subsidiaries, affiliates, licensees, service providers, prize suppliers, any other person or entity associated with the Contest (collectively "Contest Entities") and/or the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings and children) and household members (whether related or not) of each such employee, are not eligible. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Void in Quebec and where prohibited by law.

3. Agreement to Official Rules: Participation in the Contest constitutes entrant's full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final and binding. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.

4. Entry Period: The Contest Entry Period will begin at 10:00 am ET on October 21, 2013 and end at 12:00 pm ET on October 25, 2013 (the "Entry Period").

5. Entry: Tweet your original horror story (your "Submission") in 140 characters or less to #TalesofTerror. Entries must be in English. The use of any agencies or automated software to submit entries will void all entries submitted by that person. Twitter's Terms of Service apply. See Section 12 for additional information regarding submissions.

6. Judging: Judges will select ten (10) Finalists based equally on creativity, originality and scare-factor (the "Judging Criteria"). In the event of a tie, the submissions involved in the tie will be reviewed by an additional judge according to the Judging Criteria. Decisions of judges are final.

Disclaimer of Similarities: Due to the nature of this Contest, there is a possibility that similar Submissions may be entered by multiple individuals. Any similarity between Submissions shall in no way entitle you to any consideration or compensation from the Sponsor or from any third party, including in the event a Submission similar or identical to yours is selected as a winner in this Contest. By submitting your Submission, you specifically acknowledge this possibility and agree to the terms stated in these Official Rules.

7. Public Voting: The Public Voting Period will take place from 12:00 pm ET – 1:00 pm ET on October 28, 2013. During the Public Voting Period, users will be able to vote for their favorite Finalist. The Finalist with the most votes (subject to verification) will be deemed the potential Grand Prize Winner. The four (4) Finalists with the next highest number of votes will be deemed the potential Runners-Up.

Voting in this Contest will be under the supervision of Sponsor whose decisions are final in all matters relating to this Contest. Any voting results posted in real time shall not be deemed official until Sponsor have reviewed and confirmed all of the votes and announced the Contest Winners. Use of script, macro or any other automated system to vote is prohibited and all such votes will be void. Entrants/Finalists are prohibited from obtaining votes for any Submission by any fraudulent or inappropriate means, including, without limitation, offering prizes or other inducements to members of the public, or any other activity that artificially inflates such Finalist's votes as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Entrants are prohibited from sabotaging the votes of any Submissions through any means deemed inappropriate by Sponsor, in its sole discretion. If an entrant or voter engages in any of the aforementioned acts, his/her votes will be void, and his/her Submissions (if any) will be disqualified. In the event of a tied score in the Public Voting Period, the Finalists involved in a tie will be reviewed by an additional judge appointed by the Sponsor who will serve as a tie-breaker and who will evaluate the entries according to the Judging Criteria. Becoming a Finalist is subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with all terms and conditions set forth in these Official Rules. If a potential Finalist or Contest Winner cannot be reached or if any applicable required documents (such as an Affidavit of Eligibility and/or Release) are not returned within the stated timeframe or are returned as undeliverable, the corresponding Finalist will be disqualified and an alternate Finalist will be determined based on the Judging Criteria; an alternate Contest Winner will be based on the entrant with the next highest number of public votes.

8. Winner Notification: Sponsor will notify the potential winners via Twitter at the conclusion of the Contest. In order for a potential winner to receive their prize, they must respond to the Twitter notification within the time period stated and provide the information requested. Failure of any potential winner to provide this information within the stated timeframe will result in forfeiture of the prize, which may then be awarded to an alternate winner.

9. Prizes:One (1) Grand Prize Winner will receive a one-minute movie created by BlackBoxTV based on the winning Submission. Four (4) Runners-Up will each receive a digital movie poster based on their Submissions. Prizes have no retail/cash value. Specifics of all prizes are in Sponsor's sole discretion.

11. General Conditions: In the event that the operation, security, or administration of the Contest is impaired in any way for any reason, including, but not limited to fraud, virus, or other technical problem, the Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, either: (a) suspend the Contest to address the impairment and then resume the Contest in a manner that best conforms to the spirit of these Official Rules; or (b) award the prizes from among the eligible entries received up to the time of the impairment. The Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, the Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. The Sponsor's failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. In case of a dispute as to the owner of an entry, entry will be deemed to have been submitted by the authorized account holder of the Twitter handle from which the entry is made.

12. Release and Limitations of Liability: By participating in the Contest, entrants agree to release and hold harmless the Contest Entities from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Contest or receipt or use of any prize, including, but not limited to: (a) unauthorized human intervention in the Contest; (b) technical errors related to computers, servers, providers, or telephone or network lines; (c) printing errors; (d) lost, late, postage-due, misdirected, or undeliverable mail; (e) errors in the administration of the Contest or the processing of entries; or (f) injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant's participation in the Contest or receipt of any prize. Entrant further agrees that in any cause of action, the Contest Entities' liability will be limited to the cost of entering and participating in the Contest, and in no event shall the Contest Entities be liable for attorney's fees. Entrant waives the right to claim any damages whatsoever, including, but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct, or indirect damages.

13. License to Use Submissions: Sponsor shall have the right to disqualify any entries that they deem to be obscene, vulgar, sexually explicit, lewd, derogatory, inappropriate, or otherwise not in good taste, as determined by the Sponsor in its discretion. Submissions must be 100% your original work. You grant to the Sponsor and its designees the irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive right and license to use, reproduce, edit, market, store, distribute, have distributed, publicly and privately display, communicate, publicly and privately perform, transmit, have transmitted, create derivative works based upon, and promote your image, biographic information, and comments (collectively, the "Submission") in connection with the Contest and such other products or services as the Sponsor may designate in any medium now known or hereafter devised for editorial, commercial, promotional and/or any other purpose. In addition, the Sponsor shall have the right to reproduce and distribute your name, images, likenesses, photographs, voices, biographical materials, and Submission for advertising, publicity and promotional purposes in broadcast, print and or other media as the Sponsor may determine in their sole discretion. You retain ownership of all right, title, and interest in and to your Submission. You agree that the Sponsor owns all right, title, and interest in any compilation, collective work, or other derivative work created by the Sponsor using or incorporating your Submission. You hereby grant to the Sponsor the right to edit any of your Submission, in whole or in part. In addition, you hereby grant to the Sponsor and their designees the right to use any edited Submission, or parts of a Submission, without your approval and waive any right to inspect or approve uses of the Submission prior to or following publication and any right to compensation for the Submission. All elements of your Submission must be your original work and must be owned by you, and you must have the right to grant any and all necessary rights and licenses, including without limitation, all necessary copyright and other related rights to all of the materials, free and clear of all claims and encumbrances without violating the rights of any person or entity, including any right to privacy or publicity. By submitting your Submission, you agree to release and hold harmless the Sponsor and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of your Submission or your participation in any phase of this Contest.14. Disputes: Except where prohibited, entrant agrees that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of, or connected with, the Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate court located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, entrant's rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of the Sponsor in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the Commonwealth of Virginia or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the Commonwealth of Virginia.

15. Contest Results: To request the names of the winners, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Tales of Terror Winners, c/o AOL Live, 770 Broadway, Rm 4B:A46, New York, NY 10003. Requests must be received by December 15, 2013. Canadian residents may omit return postage.

Update: Thank you everyone for tweeting your favorite moments! This sweeps is now closed. Stay tuned to this blog for future winner details!

For the past 14 weeks you have followed Nicole Richie on her AOL On series #CandidlyNicole as she brings to life some of her favorite tweets, now here's your chance to meet and follow Nicole IRL (In Real Life)! That's right, we're giving our viewers a chance to hang out with Nicole Richie in LAwhere you and a guest get to meet the star and experience her favorite spots that you've seen throughout the show. All you have to do is tweet your favorite moment from this week's episode, here's how:

First, watch the video and click the button below to tweet your favorite moment from this week's episode!

If you thought the first round of AOL Live auditions were impressive - the second round was even more entertaining. Starting Friday morning at 6AM ET, the line outside our New York City headquarters was already down the block and the talent assembled was as strong as the crowd size. Thousands also watched live on AOL.com and shared their favorites with hashtag #AOLAnchorQuest.

Update: Thank you everyone for watching and auditioning! This round of auditions has ended, but we are looking at future opportunities for additional talent searches. Stay tuned to this blog for details!

Today, AOL held the first round of auditions for our AOL Live anchor search and let's just say- the talent really brought it! Entertainment enthusiasts, tech geeks, health aficionados and every-day personalities took to the screen to showcase their talents, quirks and everything in between.

AOL.com streamed the auditions live so those who couldn't make it to our open audition could still be a part of the rare experience. The stream garnered over two and a half million views and two hundred fifty thousand concurrent views in just 4 hours.

That was only part 1 of our quest for the next major star, part 2 kicks off tomorrow morning. If you're in New York and would like to audition, come by 770 Broadway between 5AM and 10AM ET for your shot at stardom. To give everyone across the globe a voice in this process, we will also be polling our Twitter audience to learn who are fan favorites and those that stuck out amongst the rest.